New Cameras & Creative Struggles

I mean... come on!! The Sony A7RII is. a. POWERHOUSE!!! The detail is out of this world and the feel of the camera is amazing. The only two negatives are the fast action auto focus and battery life, from my experience. My Canon 5D Mark IV takes the win in those areas. With that said, I've loved working with both options in my day to day. Now, I haven't shot using stobe with the A7RII but I could imagine it will operate like the Canon.

There are a lot of factors that play into which tool to use for what shooting style you're looking to conquer, but if I had to choose my top camera picks at the moment to accomplish everything I do weekly they would be: Canon 5D Mark IV (FAST) // Sony A7RII (DETAIL) / Fujifilm X100F (STREET) / Contax G2 (35MM/STREET).

Onto the creative struggle.

I've labeled the image above as one of my top shots. Some could argue they like others I've produced more so, but this one does it for me. This is for several reasons. I discovered a new spot in Fort Payne, AL which is an absolutely perfect setting for a shoot like this. I explored what the Sony A7RII has to offer with detail. Lauren (pictured) is posed perfectly. The shot almost didn't happen because I originally directed Lauren to be a bit deeper out of the direct sun light and had a last minute change of heart then reshot. The prop was already in place at random, etc... Everything just clicked.

Ok, great, now it's all captured and I can sleep sound right? NO. Lesson learned on my end. As badly as I want to crack open the laptop and get to editing, just wait. If I know I have some top shots, give them the quality they deserve by editing them on the proper machine. It's never a good idea to start editing late, after a day spent outside, then get home for dad lyfe and try to make quality edits with subpar equipment. With that said... this all boils down to what you're trying to achieve. Can I make a great on my laptop? Yes. But that's not the point, I'm trying to make the best edit I've ever created. I put a level of pressure on myself that's maybe a bit unhealthy? For a lack of a better way of saying it, I could care less what people think about my work as long as I know it's the best I can create it to be. Some of you get that and know the struggle.

Ok, so without diving too deep into the process it took to get this shot to state you're viewing it at... both my computers had jam-packed hard drives and for some reason I couldn't get the edit from my computer to match my phone for the GRAM. Normally I get it spot on from editing it on calibrated monitors to the way to bright iPhone screen. This time, not so much and it took it about 10 edits to get it right. So. Mind. Numbing! That along with other outside factors made this edit one of the most stressful I've created in quite some time. This happens to me about every 3 months so I feel hope in that I'm now free to enjoy shooting/editing close to pressure free for another quarter, right?!

There are highs and lows in pushing boudaries and I wanted to share my most recent with you. Fortunately it wasn't all for nothing and some great shots came out of it, I learned a little bit more about myself, and got to play with a baller Sony A7RII. All good things!